Chris Cornell’s Kids Accepted A Posthumous Grammy On His Behalf And Gave An Emotional Speech

Chris Cornell won a pair of Grammys before his death, and last night, he secured his third (and first posthumous one) when “When Bad Does Good” brought home the hardware for Best Rock Performance. The award was presented during the pre-show, non-televised ceremony during which most of the awards were handed out, and Cornell’s children, Toni and Christopher Cornell, were there to accept the award on his behalf.

“I never thought we’d be standing here without my dad, and I’m sure he would be proud and honored,” Christopher Cornell started. “He was known for many things. He was a rock icon, the godfather of grunge and the creator of a movement whose contribution to music history made a lasting impact across genres and generations. He was also one of the greatest poets of his time, whose soaring, unforgettable vocals made him the voice of a generation. While he touched the hearts of millions, the most important thing he was known for to us is for being the greatest father and our hero.”

Toni then chimed in, “His voice was his vision and his music was his peace. […] This is for you daddy, and we love you so much.”

Following the speech, Toni told People that it wasn’t easy for her to speak on her father’s behalf, saying, “It was very difficult. We miss him so much and we saw him work on this so hard — he was always working on his music [because] it was his passion. It was really sad in a way to feel like he couldn’t be there himself to accept it for something that he was so proud of and worked so hard on. We’re so proud of him. It was amazing.”

Watch Cornell’s children accept his posthumous Grammy above, find the full list of Grammys results here, and read about the night’s biggest winners, losers, and upsets here.